The Deputy Minister of Labor Affairs Met with the CDs of UNHCR and IOM

Alhaj Mawlavi Mohammad Zahid Ahmadzai, the Deputy Minister of Labor Affairs, met in his office with the Country directors of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Mr. Arafat Jamal, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Ms. Mihyung Park. 
 At the beginning of the meeting, the deputy minister of Labor Affairs welcomed the guests. He stated that the UNHCR, IOM, and the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs have a lot of shared responsibilities, particularly to address the needs of the newly arrived Afghan returnees from the neighboring countries, Iran and Pakistan. For instance, the need for their repatriation, resettlement, employment opportunities, and providing basic living necessities. The deputy minister added, these efforts require extensive resources and collaborations. 
Unemployment is a serious challenge for the Afghan people and the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. For its solutions, we tried a lot. For example, we held the National Labour Conference and followed up on its commitment. We established registration committees for returnees in border areas, such as in Spin Boldak, Islam Qala, and Angoor Ada. These committees have registered information around 100000 returnees, including their skills, experience, professions, and educational backgrounds, which will be useful to hire them in governmental and private sectors, the deputy minister of Labor Affairs added. 
Following this, Alhaj Mawlavi Mohammad Zahid Ahmadzai, regarding the recently published reports by the UNHCR Border Control Committee, said, it is necessary to clarify the sources and mechanisms used for data collection in reports. It would be better in the future to compare with the statistics of the IEA institutions before it is published. 

After that, the Country Director of the UNHCR in Afghanistan, Mr. Arafat Jamal, expressed the IEA's efforts on the border for assisting the returnees with professionalism and generosity. He praised the collaborative work of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, international organizations, and Afghan businessmen for providing transportation, resettlement, and basic needs for the returnees. He pledged in the future that the data collection efforts will be conducted with the cooperation and coordination of the IEA authorities. 
Finally, Ms. Mihyung Park, the Country Director of IOM in Afghanistan, praised the joint efforts of IEA institutions and international organizations in supporting Afghan returnees, and they are effective. She noted that the majority of current returnees are coming with their families, which requires increased attention and support.
In conclusion, the deputy minister Ahmadzai stated that, in order to reduce the unemployment rate in the country based on the decree of the Amir al-Muaminin (may Allah protect him), an employment committee has been established under the leadership of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. We are collecting skilled and professional citizens and introducing them to relevant organizations for employment. Besides this, we are providing vocational training programs throughout the country for those people who don’t have specific professions or knowledge.